For planners struggling with the AV budget
You are facing an AV quote that is higher than your budget. Send it to me. I will tell you what is oversized, what is missing, and whether a better price exists. It costs you nothing.
You have a date, a venue, and an AV number that does not fit. You are not sure which line items you can push back on, and you do not have weeks to rebid the show yourself.
That is the moment I am built for. I have spent more than 30 years in conference AV production. I know what a general session of your size should take in gear and crew, and I know who can do it well on short notice.
I read your quote line by line and compare it to what your show needs.
You get a plain-language list of what to question and what to leave alone. Sometimes the quote is fair, and I will tell you that too.
If the quote cannot be fixed, I take your show to production partners I know and trust. With my experience and contacts, I can usually find an option that is as good or better for less money.
You compare the bids side by side and you choose. I negotiate on your behalf. I stay with you through load-out.
Before you send me anything, I send you a signed Letter of No-Obligation.
You never get an invoice from Your AV Department. Not for the quote review, not for the bidding, not for the show.
When you choose a production partner I bring you, that partner pays me from their side, the same way they would pay their own salesperson. It is not added to your price. If you keep your current provider and just use my notes to negotiate, you owe me nothing.
I work for the planner. The supplier covers my fee.
Pick a time and tell me about the show.
You have it in writing before you share anything.
Include the agenda and room list if you have them.
Within 2 business days, I show you where labor and equipment can come down.
Negotiate with your current provider using my notes, or let me bring you alternatives.
I am Michael Harward, founder of Your AV Department. I have worked in conference AV production for more than 30 years, on the production side, building and running shows for national associations and corporate meetings. I have written these quotes, so I know how to read them.
No. You pay nothing to Your AV Department at any point. Suppliers pay me when you choose them.
No. Many planners use the review to negotiate with the provider they already have.
Usually not. I work on short timelines all the time. The sooner you send the quote, the more options you have.
No. The earlier I see the quote, the more room there is to negotiate, and you get the AV number locked in before it becomes a problem.
Send me the quote and the venue contract language. Right-sizing labor and equipment still applies, and I can tell you what your contract allows.
Not without your permission.
Thirty minutes on the phone will tell us both whether there is money to save.
Michael Harward, Your AV Department
502.418.3488 · michaelh@youravdept.com
Every page on Your AV Department.
30-Minute AV Budget Call
Pick a time and tell me about the show. Before you send me anything, I send you a signed Letter of No-Obligation.
30 minutes. No cost. No obligation.
